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PBR in National Spotlight
TIME Magazine Spreads the Love
September 26, 2006

Timing is everything in sports. The same can definitely be said of sports licensing. Thus the timing of TIME magazine’s spread on the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) tour in its September 25 issue could not have been better. With the licensed sports world converging on Las Vegas November 9–11 for the industry’s most high-profile trade event, don’t be surprised if PBR experiences the ride of a lifetime.

“Bring on the Bulls” trumpeted the success of the PBR tour, from its TV ratings to its licensing strategy. It also explored the decision by NBC in 2002 to focus on “niche” sports, and how its audience “liked watching corn-fed young dudes cling to enraged animals for dear life.” A statistical table complete with photos sizes up the PBR’s “Star Rides”—one human (Adriano Moraes) and five bulls.

With national exposure to 400,000 well-heeled readers and its upcoming audience with retailers at the Sports Licensing & Entertainment Marketplace, it looks like PBR can expect a little more than eight seconds of glory in 2007.